Monday, October 21, 2013

Our
novitiate community was transformed in several ways during a recent two-week
workshop on “Training for Transformation”, an approach to social development
based on the work of the Brazilian educator, Paolo Freire.For a start, the population here doubled as
our nine novices and Brother Conrad were joined by members of three other
religious communities – novices and Brothers from the Presentation Brothers;
postulants from the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary; and two Sisters of the
Jesus, Mary and Joseph congregation.

The
facilitators included Ntombi Nyathi of the Grail Institute in South Africa, and
two of our Brothers from Kenya, Sunday Otieno and Paul Mutuku.Their “full on” and creative approach ensured
that everyone was actively involved and participating.Their message emphasized that the
transformation we want for the society has to start with each of us as
individuals, and then move out to the local community and the wider society.

So
the experience of the workshop was in itself an experience of personal
transformation.We began the workshop by
stepping into our sacred personal stories.We planted a variety of seeds during the opening ritual, and by the end
of the workshop these were sprouting vigorously, reflecting the growth and
flowering that was occurring in us.

One
area of transformation was in the assumptions and unquestioned beliefs that we
often have about “the poor” and their problems.We were challenged to see each person as a SUBJECT, with gifts and the
capacity to play a part in solving his or her own problems, and not just as the
OBJECT of the well-meaning efforts of people like us.They are not empty vessels to be filled with
our expertise!We had to make our own
shift from a NAÏVE consciousness to AWAKENING in understanding this.

This
awakening needs us to see things as the people themselves see and experience
them, so we have to be with the people, listen to them, and understand their
perspective on the world and the society.This will be the beginning of identifying the root problem, which, in
turn, opens the way to find solutions and take action.

To
assist people in this way demands skills – so learning the skills of observing
and listening, and practicing the six steps of “digging deeper” into a
community or social issue, were central in the workshop.We practiced some of these with visits to the
markets and interaction with the market sellers in Tamale and in Kintampo,
south of Tamale.

Making
our group presentations in the final days of the workshop continued the process
of our personal transformations, as we called on our gifts and took risks to
inform, stimulate and engage our companions.The two weeks were full and demanding, but also energizing and full of
new insights and awareness.

The workshop is over – but only for now.We carry with us new ideas and skills which
will be applied in the coming months.For us Christian Brother novices, the three-month Community Pastoral
Placement at the start of 2014 will provide an opportunity for us to practice
what we have learned in a more extended way.Most of the participants from this workshop will then gather again in
May, 2014, for a follow-up workshop to consolidate and deepen the
transformation that has started so memorably and inspiringly.

TFT Trainees posing out for a photo at Kintampo Market after the Listening Survey!

6 steps of Digging Deeper explored!

After the presentation of how to put into action the 6 steps of digging deeper and then Taking all that Energy Back!

Lighting the fire! Demonstrating how important a Code is in helping people in the society identify their own problems. The code identifies the root cause and it ignites from there outwards like buring a fire!

Group Photo of all the Trainiees and the three Facilitators before departures!

One
of the challenges of life in a place for those of us who are not Ghanaian,
which is all of us, is the isolation.Tamale is not on any tourist trails and travel within Africa is
expensive, if you come by air, or slow and uncertain if you choose any other
means of transport.So we very much
appreciate here the number of visitors we have from the other Districts within
Africa, and from other Provinces beyond Africa.There is something in face-to-face interaction and having someone living
with you for a while that email, Facebook and phone-calls can’t match.

We
were especially delighted earlier this year to have Br. Vince Duggan, the
Province Leader of Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor
Leste and the Philippines), with us for nearly two weeks.The fact that we have had two novices from
Oceania in 2011-12, and again this year (Desmond and Francis from Papua New
Guinea), is the main reason that Vince has given priority to visiting us.

We
have not only benefited from Vince’s willingness to take some classes (some
very colourful excursions into Church History), but even more from his
presence.Despite his responsible
position and status in the congregation, his warm and humble (check out the
photo below at the wash-up!) way of being among us underlined what brotherhood
and leadership mean for us Christian Brothers.

Vince shows that he hasn’t forgotten what to do at a
wash-up

Vince
and the three natives of Oceania – novices Desmond and Francis, and Br. Tony.

Vince
(far right) with almost all the novices and Team.Can you pick which novice is not there?

It is almost 6 months down the
line that I have been going for my weekly ministry at the Rehabilitation Centre. The‘Rehab’ is a training Institution that offers vocational courses such as
tailoring and dressmaking, shoe making and repairs (leather work), weaving and
knitting, for physically challenged young men and women both from both within
and beyond Tamale.

Spending time with them every Thursday has been a great opportunity
in my life.I have witnessed what it feels
to be both poor and physically challenged. It is indeed a challenging life for
the students, but the centre is also encountering a number of challenges.One of the major ones that faces the
institution year in year out is a lack of funds to operate.

It is quite surprising that, although it is a
government institution, very little support comes from the government itself,
and if it does, the money passes through a chain of hands such that, by the
time it reaches the Rehab, it is just a token. Hence, it is not enough to cater
for basic needs and this has made them highly dependent on donations by
individuals or churches, religious congregations and NGOs. These alternatives, too,
are not consistent.

Nevertheless, I have been
encouraged by the way the students, teachers and managers face this reality
very boldly and enthusiastically. Their faces are always full of joy, hope and
faith.

I have experienced enormous love
from these people of God. It made me feel energized while working with them. I
have also developed a compassionate heart. Each day I shared with them, there
was something new in me. Their kindness is another thing that I cherish.

On the other hand, I also
encountered some challenges at this place, e.g. my lack of special
communication skills (sign language) in communicating with the students,
especially those with a hearing disability. I found it hard to accommodate all
of them during various activities such asthe weekly hour for devotion and in class time. You can imagine working
with the dumb, blind, cripples and deaf under the same roof at the same
time!However, I managed to learn a few
basic skills in sign language.

I feel my presence at the ‘Rehab’
has been of mutual benefit, to the centre and certainly to me. It enabled me
work with zeal. I will always remember their amazing phrase, “Because
we are his children, God loves us too. He will always provide for us our daily
needs.”

I have many reasons to appreciate these
marvellous experiences. I feel they have boosted my emotional, social and
spiritual growth.I am looking forward
to a new challenge when we change ministries next month.

Teaching Mathematics!

Lawrence solves the problem!

Lawrence (Standing - First from Right),
last day with students from the Rehabilitation Centre!

Shortly after our arrival in
Tamale, Brothers Tony and Con took us novices around Tamale to see the ministry
sites, and I was deeply touched when we came to the Children’s Home. These
delightful children captured my attention and led me to request this as my
regular ministry.

My experience there has been
enriching. The home has children of various ages, but I have been involved
mainly with the infants and toddlers, while the older ones go off to
school.At first it was not easy. I had
to learn the mother’s gentle art of changing the nappies and washing the
children. I helped in cleaning the house, playing with the children and
engaging them in different activities to keep them active. By lunchtime they
will all be sleeping. Sometimes I find myself among them having a siesta as
well.

Volunteers from overseas also
come and spend some time in helping look after the children. Men and women,
youths, students and various organisations also take time to visit and donate
what they can, in food or in other supplies. The administration is short of the funds needed
for renovations and looking after the children’s basic needs, like clothes and
food. They depend heavily on donations from generous individuals and
organisations, in Ghana and abroad.

One challenge at the orphanage is
the small number of staff. The number of children at the orphanage is greater
than the number of staff and this makes it a difficult for the staff,
especially to give the individual attention that children want and need.
However, when visitors come, the children run up to them to greet these
visitors without fear. This shows how they have been well looked after by the
few staff, but also how much they respond to some extra attention from visitors
and volunteers.

The Team for 2013-14

What do we want this novitiate to be?

There is a saying that goes something like this: “If we don’t do what we believe in, then we’ll end up believing in what we do”. Without a vision that is authentic and alive to guide our actions, then we can settle for rationalizing the status quo or what is convenient and comfortable.
One of the first things the new team in Tamale did was to spend time beginning to articulate its vision of a novitiate beyond the basics laid down in our Constitutions. Here are some elements of what we came up with:
Novitiate is a journey, a process that involves KNOWING, EXPERIENCING and CHOOSING.
It is an INITIATION into Christian Brother religious life, so a “rite of passage” into a new identity, a time of learning and testing.
Novitiate confronts the novices with the Brother’s vocation as a call to brotherly solidarity and community, not to privilege, status and security.
It involves exploration of the basic values of faith and vocation, and the challenge to embrace these out of personal conviction and free choice.
Novitiate means understanding that a religious vocation makes a claim on the whole of the person and his life, including his inner life, his relationships and his professional activity (ministry). Furthermore, it challenges the novice to see the dynamic inter-relationship of these areas and to learn what their integration means.
Novitiate is a time of DISCERNMENT. The novice learns more deeply who he is, and what this Christian Brother life is. There is a constant back-and-forth movement between these two poles as an answer is sought to the question, “Is this where I am meant to be? Is this the life that will enable me to find my true self in God?”